Key result
Novel force clamp system constructs force-length relations and measures power in single rat cardiomyocytes.
Demonstrates a novel method to measure the force-length relationship and power output of a single isolated cardiomyocyte mimicking the physiological cardiac cycle.
No immediate clinical application; leaves open translation of single-cardiomyocyte mechanics to intact myocardium.
A single isolated cardiomyocyte is the smallest functional unit of the heart. Yet, all single isolated cardiomyocyte experiments have been limited by the lack of proper methods that could reproduce a physiological cardiac cycle. We aimed to investigate the contractile properties of a single cardiomyocyte that correctly mimic the cardiac cycle. By adjusting the parameters of the feedback loop, using a suitably engineered feedback system and recording the developed force and the length of a single rat cardiomyocyte during contraction and relaxation, we were able to construct force–length (FL) relations analogous to the pressure–volume (PV) relations at the whole heart level. From the cardiac loop graphs, we obtained, for the first time, the power generated by one single cardiomyocyte. Here, we introduce a new approach that by combining mechanics, electronics, and a new type optical force transducer can measure the FL relationship of a single isolated cardiomyocyte undergoing a mechanical loop that mimics the PV cycle of a beating heart.
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Helmes et al. (2016) studied this question. Diastolic and systolic force clamps was evaluated on Force-length (FL) relations and power output. A novel feedback system using diastolic and systolic force clamps successfully constructed force-length relations and measured the power generated by a single isolated rat cardiomyocyte.
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